Is Xanthan gum safe for cats? Or is it a toxic ingredient like xylitol?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Xanthan gum is an emulsifier / thickening agent and is considered safe in dogs and cats. It is not a known GI irritant and the other ingredients should be ok as well. The only thing I would be hesitant to give Kitty is the garlic powder. I would not give these treats to Kitty because of the garlic. Garlic can cause serious problems as it is part of the allium (onion) family. I would find a product that does not contain onion / garlic and use that instead. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

Thank you for providing a picture of the box and ingredients, it's very helpful. To answer your question, you do have to be careful with this around Salem. It contains xylitol, which is toxic to cats. I would not let him have any licks of it, and if you drink it outside the house, that's fine and he will be safe. I hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Kiara. Xylitol toxicity occurs between 15-30 minutes after ingestion, and if it's been over 30 minutes and she is fine, she may not have eaten it. Either that, or the bit she ate was not big enough to cause any problems. I'd keep an eye on her for now, but if she is fine by tomorrow morning, there will be no need to worry. I hope this helps.

Many types of Trident gum contain xylitol. This artificial sweetener is extremely toxic to dogs because it very quickly causes hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) and liver damage. At this point, you should take Gidget to an emergency veterinarian immediately. They may or may not induce vomiting since it's been over an hour since she ingested the gum. They will also be able to closely monitor her blood glucose and liver values, while administering supportive IV fluids and medications. There are no home remedies for this situation - this is a life-threatening emergency if the gum contained xylitol. I really hope that everything goes well for Gidget!

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I can understand some of your concern here regarding carbomer. There have been some studies evaluating its toxic effects, mainly when used as a gel substrate in eye medications in animals and this is what I was able to find regarding this: Use: Carbomer-based gels significantly extend contact of solutes or suspended solids with the corneal surface Overdosage: Doses up to 1 g/kg PO in dogs x 6 mo resulted in no observable clinical effects and no pathological lesion No toxic effects expected; should signs develop, treatment should be symptomatic Systemic toxicosis not expected due to poor bioavailability So therefore, there are no concerns here when this compound is ingested in animals (dogs or cats). This is typically the case when dealing with over the counter supplements or dental products in general. If toxicity concerns were there, a product would likely require a prescirption and would not be available as an over the counter. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes with your pet Cooper moving forward and her dental care. Take care. : )

This quantity is unlikely to give any problem other than mild gastrointestinal upset. Toxic effects seen with ingestion of 0.15 g/kg consist of hypoglycemia and hepatic failure. Based on this calculation your dog should have ingested 1,95grs; even though chewing gum pieces have surprisingly variable amounts of xylitol depending on their flavor the maximum amount I have found is 0.3grs per gum. Having said that, in Harley's case we are definitively far away from toxic dosages. I would recommend to monitor him for the next 4-6hours and, should any sign occur, like vomiting and diarrhoea, a check up would be required.

Oh no, that wasn't good that Kujo ate gum! Thank you for providing the ingredients information for the gum, that was extremely helpful. The good news is that maltitol and sorbital are not toxic to dogs. Because it does not contain xylitol, she should be fine. You may see some stomach upset from eating the gum in the form of vomiting and diarrhea, and I will give you a home remedy to give to her if you see this. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. I hope this helps :-)